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Recent News

Coach Barry Trotz said that Lars Eller (upper body) is good to go on Wednesday.

Eller will line up on the fourth line and with only two goals in 17 games, he certainly is not a viable candidate for fantasy pools. Nevertheless, it looks like he will be in the lineup. Nov 23 - 11:39 AM

"As of right now, it sounds like he's good to go." said coach Barry Trotz. "... I think he will be a possible. That's probably more accurate." Eller took part in Tuesday's practice and he will see how he feels after Wednesday's morning skate. Nov 22 - 4:41 PM

Confirming an earlier note, Lars Eller will not play in Sunday's match against Columbus due to his upper body injury.

Eller is still considered day-to-day. Washington won't play again until Wednesday against the Blues, potentially offering enough time for the veteran pivot to heal up nicely. He has two goals in 17 games this season. Nov 20 - 12:13 PM

Kuznetsov has not had a good season at all after a 20 goal, 77 point performance last year. He has only three goals and nine points in 23 contests and certainly has been a sore spot for his fantasy owners this season. You have to keep him but it would be nice if he could start contributing.

Jay Beagle scored the only goal in Washington's 1-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

Beagle broke the scoreless tie at the 14:49 mark of the third period. Dmitry Orlov picked up the only assist on the Beagle's marker. Beagle's been on a bit of a productive streak, as he's picked up four points in his last five contests. He has four goals and four assists in 17 games this season.

Ovechkin has accumulated 22 penalty minutes in 24 games this season, including 10 PIM in his last three contests. "Unacceptable," Trotz said. "He’s the leader. He can’t take those penalties. You’ve got to be on the right side. I’m going to address it harshly with him tomorrow. There’s way too many of that. If you’re working, then you don’t need to do that. We’re going to address that." With that in mind, don't be surprised if you see Ovechkin's PIM pace decline going forward.

Marcus Johansson scored a goal and an assist in Friday's 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres.

Johansson did all his damage in the third period, as he assisted on John Carlson's first goal of the season to make it 3-1 Washington and he added an empty netter in the last two minutes of the game. Johansson has 12 goals and nine assists in 26 games this season.

Justin Williams scored a pair of goals in Wednesday's 4-3 OT win over the Boston Bruins.

Williams scored the first two goals of the game in the first period. Daniel Winnik eventually gave Washington a 3-0 lead, but the Bruins managed to score three unanswered goals to force OT. In the extra frame, it was Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom that scored the game-winner. The offensive output doubled Williams' goal total for the season. The veteran winger has four goals and three assists in 25 games this season. Those numbers are disappointing by his standards.

Wilson had been seeing time on the second unit with Evgeni Kuznetsov and Marcus Johansson earlier so he has been seeing top-six minutes after starting the season as a bottom-six forward. His true value is in the penalty minutes category. Wilson has a goal and 12 penalty minutes in 13 games this season. Expect a lot more minutes the rest of the way.

Brett Connolly and Aaron Ness will be scratched against the Sabres on Friday.

Connolly has managed just three points with 12 PIMs and 30 hits through 15 games this season, and he's seeing just 11:02 of ice time on average. Ness meanwhile has yet to make his season debut for the Caps, he does however have three goals and nine points in 17 games for AHL Hershey.

Jakub Vrana logged 10:16 minutes of ice time in his NHL debut on Thursday.

Vrana took four shots on goal, but like the rest of the Capitals he couldn't generate anything offensively in the 3-0 loss to the Islanders. "It was a new experience and I had a great feeling out there," he said. "I had a few shots, they just miss. It kind of hurts to end up the game [with a loss] like this." He's got a lot of upside and is certainly worth keeping an eye on for as long as he's with the Capitals.

The offensive defenseman has played 23 games with nine assists thus far but is second on the Capitals in shots on goal with 57. He had eight goals and 39 points in only 56 games last season so his lack of production is a concern to his fantasy owners. "Carly is such a talent, and I think this one of the few times in Carly’s career, which is sort of good for Carly in fact, it’s not coming really easy for him," coach Barry Trotz said. "He got off to a slow start, a little bit nicked up through the World Cup and the start of our season, and now he’s playing catch-up. Now, maybe you’re not having the success that you’ve had in the past. I don’t want to say doubt creeps in, but you start to look for different ways to have success and different ways to do that. Sometimes, as I said, the doubt creeps in or you get frustrated. When you’re frustrated, it’s just not a good energy."

Karl Alzner (sports hernia) will play on Tuesday in a preseason game versus Montreal.

"I think it's going to be fine," Alzner said. "It's been fine the whole time so far. In scrimmage, I'm okay. I've been feeling great when I wake up, so I don't think it's going to be an issue. The only thing is if something crazy happens out there, which can happen. I'm not too nervous about it." He had sports hernia surgery during the off-season, but he has looked ready to play during training camp.

Orpik isn't known for his offensive contributions and you shouldn't expect an increase in production from a points per game perspective as the season goes on. That being said, the 36-year-old has also seen his role decline in 2016-17 as he's gone from averaging 19:49 minutes per contest last season to 16:43 minutes.

The Caps were in complete control of the game early, as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead. But the Bruins eventually woke up, as they scored three straight goals in the second and third period to force OT. Nicklas Backstrom scored the game-winning goal for Washington. Holtby has now won back-to-back outings. He has a 12-6-2 record with a 2.18 goals-against-average and a .923 save percentage this season.

Philipp Grubauer allowed one goal on 28 shots in Friday's 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres.

Grubauer hasn't played often this season, but he's been relatively effective in his limited minutes. He's given up two goals or less in five of his six appearances, which is pretty remarkable. Grubauer has a 4-1-1 record with a 1.67 goals-against-average and a .941 save percentage this season.